Julie K. of Plover, WI
Destination: Puerto Vallarta
Resort: Melia Puerto Vallarta
Date: October 2008
Overall, everyone that attended had a great time and the resort was beautiful, along with the views. However, we were very unhappy with the "kid friendly" type atmosphere as for one the lunch food for the children was only available @ certain hours of the day which actually was quite late, and the kids shows in the evening didn't start until almost 9:00 p.m. We all honestly didn't feel this resort catered to children which was an important feature we were looking for.
The communication problem was prevelant especially with the public relations staff and the security which made it extremely difficult with wedding preparations. There was not a rehearsal for the ceremony (which I thought was strange) as it would have been nice if it was more organized. Everything was beautifully decorated and the wedding dinner was delicious, however for ordering the best wedding package they had to offer it would have been nice to have music for the reception part of the wedding.
The "Tukari Tours" agent was very kind however very disorganized. It actually was a bit of a nightmare trying to arrange that particular tour. They , however were great regarding the transportation to & from the airport.
I have to say that I personally would not recommend this particular resort to anyone I know wanting to take a similar vacation.
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Jessi G. of Kirkland, WA
Destination: Puerto Vallarta
Resort: Melia Puerto Vallarta
Date: October 2008
Having been there before, I knew we would find great character and culture in and around the city. The Melia, however, provided a much different experience and unfortunately is not a place we would ever consider in the future nor would we recommend it to friends/family. It was really quite horrible, if I’m being completely honest.
Positives:
- Airport transfer was easy and quick, staff was courteous and efficient
- The kids-club staff (at least those who watched 0-4 years) was friendly. I wasn’t a big fan of the age group…0-4 is a wide range, as you know. But, they did a good job for the one afternoon that I used them.
Negatives:
- We paid for a King-size M experience. We got 2 double beds. The room, although clean, was musty and ill-ventilated. (Taking a shower steamed up the entire room- there was no fan in the bathroom or bedroom)
- The room was cleaned once/day in a manner that was not on par with the M experience. The beds were made, towels refreshed and the sink wiped out, but that was about it.
- There was no food available between 10am and 1:00pm. For a resort that’s “kid-friendly”, I thought this was crazy. My 2 year old, without fail, was hungry every day at 11:30am and we couldn’t feed him lunch until 1:00pm!
- The food was not good. I’ve been to Sandals, Superclubs, Beaches, Aventura Palace and a handful of cruises and had some average meals at all of them but could always find a couple of really great things. The Melia was sub-par in every restaurant for every meal. Thankfully, the best meal was the wedding meal- the Caesar salad was the most memorable thing we had- it was very good. I realize there’s some compromise on food when staying at an all-inclusive versus Maui, for example where every meal is exquisite but the price tag goes along with it. The Melia was more than a compromise. My family ended up leaving the resort the last 3 nights in order to get an enjoyable meal. It was a little embarrassing for me because I’m the one who helped choose the place and I wish I had been more diligent.
- There was no entertainment- they advertise it to be more than it is. There were a few things at 9pm (much too late for small ones) but nothing notable.
- Pool side music was loud and annoying. The staff got on the microphone twice an hour and most times didn’t speak in English so it was tough to know what they were trying to get people to do. It’s definitely a resort that targets local commerce/vacationing which is fine, but it wasn’t friendly for non-Spanish speaking tourists. We called security, the bell stand and customer service and had to ask to be transferred to someone who spoke English.
- Jessica, the wedding planner, was a bit difficult the day of the wedding. We had one family in town who stayed at a different resort and when they came for the wedding, the staff held them in the lobby for 45 minutes until they could get a hold of my sister (on her wedding day!) to get her permission to let them come in. I specifically told Jessica when I checked in that there was one family not staying at the resort so this shouldn’t have happened. Jessica sat at a table a few yards away from the dinner and just sort of stared at the wedding guests for about an hour. It was strange.
I do appreciate the help you provided for our friends/family who booked; overall, everyone had a great time. The disappointment with amenities didn’t overshadow the reason for the trip. The Melia just won’t have return customers from the group.
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